A lot of people are curious about what sort of thing they should write for objective on their resume. In their minds this is a make of break situation that needs to be figured out before they set out writing their resume.
And it is a valuable question to have. There are situations where writing the wrong objective can lead to you not getting the job.
What we are going to do here is review some of the main questions people have about objectives on a resume and how to include and write them.
Then we’ll review if this is something that is absolutely necessary to do and if you need to include it on your resume.
With that in mind, let’s lead right into the question of whether or not you really need to have an objective listed on your resume.
Are Objectives Necessary on Resumes?
Alright, so here’s the little secret that average job seekers don’t know. The typical resume doesn’t need an objective on it. Your average job and your average job seeker isn’t going to benefit from having an objective written on their resume.
And the secret is that most people who read resumes skip the objective. Recruiters who work for agencies rarely read the objective, and if they do, it’s to make sure that there are no grammatical errors or other mistakes that should disqualify you from a job.
And people who work as internal recruiters for companies would only read them as a method of disqualifying someone for a role. If the company wanted a personal statement or cover letter, then they would directly ask for one.
Objectives, if composed well, should all resemble one another. They should have essentially the boilerplate goals that everyone lists on a resume. Anything that deviates from the standard objective isn’t worth writing and is risky sending out on your resume.
Students’ vs Experienced: Different Objectives
If you are using an objective on your resume, then it does help to differentiate between the appropriate type of objective.
A student, or more precisely a new graduate, will have a different objective than someone who has been in the workforce for several years.
If you simply google “Resume Objective” and use one of the stock ones you see on those garbage advice sites for people who sell resumes or sell job postings, then you’re playing a risky game.
Someone who is a recent graduate should have an objective statement that clearly states their goal of finding an entry level role. The objective should then be tailored to the role that you’re submitting the resume to. So, if you’re looking to work in PR, then mention that in the objective.
Some specificity is important because it lets the recruiter know that you’re not simply applying haphazardly to every job posted online.
This is the reason why objectives can be quite beneficial. When a recruiter sees that you’ve mentioned the industry in your objective, they know that you’re a motivated applicant.
It helps to differentiate you from others who simply hit the apply button to every job on indeed. Those people often end up bouncing from job to job because they don’t have a clear understanding as to what it is that they are looking for in a career.
Experienced job seekers, on the other hand, are wise to craft a different sort of objective. One that established themselves as someone who can handle the different challenges that come with a higher level of work.
The experienced person needs to have an objective that clearly states their desire to join a company and contribute to the growth of said organization and use the skills learned at prior positions.
The goal here is to establish that one is a successful and an asset to a company without stating it in these words.
So, make sure to write a clean objective where the emphasis is on your skill set, contributing to a company and making sure that you continue to growth alongside your new firm.
Do All Professions Require Objectives on a Resume?
Not at all. In fact, most resumes don’t require them. Some fields do like to see an objective, especially if the person submitting a resume is a new graduate.
However, as a rule, some professions don’t require them as stringently as others.
When you’re working in the medical field, for example, you do see more and more candidates with objectives on their resume. One reason is to differentiate themselves from less sophisticated and responsible candidates.
Medical workers are not professionals, in the sense that executed, and corporate employees are. It’s well known in clinical and medical settings that there are plenty of rough and unprofessional people working in the field, so by having a professionally written objective it gives them the impression that they are dealing with someone who will try and act professionally.
Corporate executives of a certain stature also tend to write objectives on their resume. This is in lieu of a longer cover letter, which isn’t necessary unless asked for.
However, as a rule, professionals are not going to require an objective on their resume. It’s just not something that is done.
Do You Need an Objective on Your Resume?
Now that we’ve covered what you can write as an objective, it’s time to consider if you even need an objective on your resume in the first place.
The simple answer is that you don’t. It might not hurt you to have an objective on listed on your resume, but for virtually all jobs on the market, it’s not necessary.
If you’re sending your resume though a site like Indeed, ZipRecrutier, Monster, or Craigslist, then odds are it will get read by a ATS machine and never viewed by a real person. In that instance, the more important thing is to write your resume in a way that can hit all of the main search parameters and contains the proper keywords.
The objective is there so that the hiring manager can see what your long term goals are and if they align with the company.
If you are dealing with an outside recruiting agency, they frankly don’t care. And if you’re competing with hundreds of people who submit their resumes to jobs posted directly to company websites or job boards, then it’s very doubtful that your objective will be read.
Therefore it’s pretty clear that you don’t need one. You can certainly have one, but my advice would be to make sure it’s short, generic, and to the point. You don’t want to stand out by having a unique objective.
Business owners and hiring managers are not interested in your hopes and dreams. They are only interested in what you can do to further their business and produce for them.
While I would not go so far as to say that an objective is something that can be classified as something you should never put on your resume, it’s something that’s basically not needed for most roles.
Hey I’m Chris . 20+ years in the industry. I’ve worked every role from Executive recrutier to Agency founder and consultant. If you want to learn more or reach me,vist the about page or use my contact form.